Pursuant to the Commission Regulation (EU) No 452/2014 (TCO) of 29 April 2014, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is responsible to issue Third Country Operator (TCO) Authorisations to commercial air operators (as defined in ICAO Annex 6, Parts I and III) certified in a non-EASA State that apply to operate to destinations in European member States, European Free Trade Association members, and their territories in which EU regulations apply.
EASA shall issue TCO authorisations when it is satisfied that a third country operator has established compliance with the applicable requirements of Part-TCO. This requires operators to comply with the applicable ICAO standards, including those in Annex 6 (Operation of Aircraft) to the Chicago Convention.
As of 8 November 2018, Annex 6 Part I Chapter 3.5 standards require AOC holders authorised for international commercial air transport to establish an aircraft tracking capability to track aeroplanes throughout their area of operations.
As of 16 December 2018, similar EU requirements have become applicable to EU operators.
Therefore, as of January 2019 EASA will include the relevant requirements into its TCO assessments.
